Mikhail Krug was born in Tver (Kalinin) in 1962 and went on to become a famous Russian shanson singer, a style of songs often connected with prison and the criminal underworld, although he also wrote songs about love and about Tver. Krug was especially popular in the late 1980s and 1990s. In 2002 Krug was shot by intruders in his house in Tver, where his family were also staying, and later died of his injuries. This statue of him depicts him sat on a bench with his guitar. It was unveiled in 2007 as part of Tver's city day celebrations.